Stumbles on the Sidewalk
by emjoy klainer
Summary: Five years after the break up Kurt happens to quite literally run into Blaine on a street in NY. First Blaine broke his heart, now he has broken his ankle.
1. Chapter 1

Kurt Hummel was lost. Even after living in New York for five years and spending every free minute exploring the city and making it his home he still managed to find himself completely and utterly clueless as to where he was that Tuesday afternoon. Usually Kurt didn't mind getting lost every once in a while, he actually enjoyed it. There was something a little bit exciting about losing oneself in the city, never knowing what you'll find- a new favourite cafe, a quirky bookshop, a quaint little park where on a bench under the sprawling branches of a willow tree you might happen to meet your soul mate. Not that Kurt had to worry about the latter. He was very much in love. Seth was smart, witty, charming, successful and remarkably handsome, the textbook perfect boyfriend...the perfect boyfriend who was going to be very put out if Kurt didn't get himself home within the next hour. It was their two year anniversary and although Seth had been very secretive about their plans, Kurt was sure it was going to be a wonderfully romantic evening because Seth was the perfect boyfriend.

After turning yet another corner on to yet another street which looked exactly the same as the fifteen streets before he decided he should probably admit defeat and ask someone for directions. Spying a coffee shop ahead he saw his chance and made his way towards it. He was reaching for the door when it was pushed upon rather forcibly from the other side. Kurt thought he caught a glimpse of a head of dark curly hair before he lost his footing and fell harshly onto the cold cement of the New York sidewalk. Instantly pain erupted in his ankle causing him to cry out in agony. A shadow fell across his face and he felt somebody kneel beside him, presumably the person who knocked him down in the first place. Distracted by the pain he took him a second to realise the person was speaking to him.

"I am so sorry. God I'm such an idiot, off in my own little world. Are you ok?"

Kurt lifted his head from his injury to retort that 'of course he was not ok! Does having a presumably broken ankle usually indicate that someone is ok?!' when his words were forgotten as he looked into the face of the other man for the first time...

"Kurt?"

"Blaine?"

"Um, hi. Fancy seeing you here"

"Yeah, wow. Um, I don't suppose you could help me up? I think I've hurt my foot"

Blaine stared at him unmoving for a second before realisation came across his face.

"Oh right, yes. Um, maybe wrap your arms around my neck?"

Kurt slipped his arms around his former boyfriend's neck as Blaine slid an arm around his waist to pull him to his feet until they were standing wrapped around each other in the middle of the pavement. The familiarity of the position threw Kurt off guard and he faltered accidentally putting all his weight on his injured ankle. Crying out he lost his footing and fell back into Blaine's waiting arms.

"Sorry" he mumbled distracted by the renewed pain "I think it might be broken"

"Please don't apologise, this is completely my fault. Should I call an ambulance?"

"There's no need for that, really. I'll just get a cab home and see if I can get an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning"

"Kurt, that's ridiculous. You don't expect me to just let you jump in a taxi and fend for yourself with a broken ankle? If you don't want an ambulance fine but I'm taking you to the E.R myself"

Kurt thought about arguing before he was persuaded by a particularly harsh throb of pain in his ankle... Maybe Blaine had a point.

"Chivalrous as always I see. Fine, let's hail a cab"

Blaine helped Kurt towards a nearby bench and let him sit while he attempted to flag down a cab in peak hour New York traffic. Miraculously it didn't take as long as he expected and soon Blaine was wrapping an arm around his waist once again and helping him hobble towards the back seat of the waiting car. Leaning against Blaine Kurt could feel the definition of his chest muscles through the light fabric of his sweater. The arm holding him upright was strong and firm and he couldn't help but breathe a little deeper to fill himself with the scent of Blaine's cologne. Five years had passed and yet this boy, no man, was still utterly intoxicating.

Once Kurt was safely situated in the back of the cab Blaine slid in next to him and asked the driver to take them to the nearest hospital.

"Sure, should be there in about ten minutes"

"Thankyou"

A minute or so passed in somewhat awkward silence as both men comprehended their current situation. Neither had seen the other for a half a decade and now here they were, in the backseat of a taxi as they drove toward the hospital because Blaine had accidentally broken Kurt's ankle. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was nothing more than an unfortunate accident...maybe it was fate.

"Seth" Kurt exclaimed suddenly. He had completely forgotten the romantic evening he had planned with his long-term boyfriend and supposed soul mate.

"Sorry?" Blaine questioned

"Um, I have to let Seth know what's happening"

"Right..."

"Seth is my boyfriend, it's our anniversary today. Oh god, he's going to be so disappointed"

"Oh. Ah, here, use my phone to call him. I'm sure he'll understand"

"I have my own phone Blaine"

"Please, it's the least I can do, what with breaking your ankle and ruining you anniversary"

"Thanks"

Kurt took the phone from Blaine's outstretched hand and purposely ignored any sudden leaps his heart may have made when his fingers brushed against the other man's. Honestly! He had just spent the past fifteen minutes draped around him and it was the touching of their fingertips which was affecting him the most?!

"_Hello?"_

"Seth, hi"

"_Kurt?"_

"Yeah it's me"

"_What's up? Are you almost home we have reservations for seven, I got caught up at the office but I'm on the subw-"_

"Seth, honey, listen to me for a sec. I think we might have to postpone dinner. I'm on my way to the hospital"

"_The hospital?! What happened? Are you ok baby? Shit, are you hurt? Tell me what's wrong"_

"Shh just listen for a minute and let me explain"

"_Sorry, go on..."_

And so Kurt retold the story of his great fall on the New York sidewalk and Seth clucked his tongue with sympathy.

"_Oh baby, that's awful. Don't worry about dinner I'll cancel. Now how do I find you? What suburb are you in?"_

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was kind of lost when I had the tragic accident"

"_Lost again?" _Kurt could hear Seth chuckling quietly.

Out of the corner of his eye Kurt could see Blaine mouthing the words 'central park'. Oh! He had completely missed the fact that they were indeed driving alongside the Eastern side of central park.

"Actually it turns out I'm not as lost as I thought I was. I'm near central park right now which means I must be heading to St Luke's"

"_St Luke's, got it. I'll just go home quickly and unload my work things and then I'll be right over. Will you be ok by yourself until then?"_

"Of course, I can look after myself, you know that. Besides I'm actually not alone. It turns out the world is smaller than I originally thought. The man who knocked me over is actually an old... friend of mine"

Kurt could have sworn he saw Blaine flinch at the word 'friend'. It wasn't that he was deliberately withholding the truth, he just didn't feel that this was the best forum to have the whole 'my ex-boyfriend whom I was completely and utterly in-love with broke my heart five years ago and now he's taking me the hospital and I can't help but still feel sparks when our fingers touch' conversation.

"_Oh that's weird! What a coincidence. Well I guess if anyone had to break your ankle I'm glad it was someone who you know and who cares enough to take to the E.R" _

"Yes, Blaine has always been quite the gentleman"

A flicker of a smile crossed over the other man's lips at Kurt's words.

"_Ok honey, well I'm at my stop. I'll be over as soon as I possibly can. I love you" _

"Love you too Seth"

Kurt ended the call and handed the phone back to Blaine, careful not to let their fingers touch this time.

"Seth sounds nice. Have you been together long?"

"Two years today"

"Wow. Congratulations. Two years..."

"Yes. Well... What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Um, not exactly. There hasn't really been anyone for a while. I actually haven't really-"

But whatever Blaine hadn't done would have to wait because it was in that moment that the cab pulled to a stop outside St Luke's hospital. After paying the fare in full Blaine once again held Kurt close to him as they made their slowly towards the Emergency Room. The waiting room was chaotic, full of the sick and injured of New York. Blaine helped Kurt into a seat and then approached the desk to sign them in. The woman behind the counter looked extremely frazzled- signing forms with one hand and answering the phone with the other.

Blaine cleared his throat the get her attention. "Hi, I have a man with what we assume is a broken ankle"

"Right. Well take a form and fill it in then bring it back and we'll put you on the waiting list. I'm afraid you might be waiting for a while, we're understaffed tonight and it appears that the entirety of New York has decided to either break a bone or catch the flu"

"No problem, I'll just go fill this in" Blaine replied, polite as always.

The woman shot him a grateful smile and then was quickly distracted by the phone once more.

Blaine headed back over to Kurt to find him biting his lip to take his mind off the pain.

"Hey, you need to fill these out and then they can put us on the list. We might be here for a while. Can I get you anything?" Blaine asked handing Kurt the clipboard and pen.

"No, no I'm fine. It just hurts"

"I know. I really am sorry Kurt. I feel terrible"

"It's fine Blaine. I know it was an accident. Would you mind being my scribe? I scraped my hand when I fell over and it kind of hurts to hold the pen"

"Sure. Is your hand ok? It's not broken too is it?

"No, just a little scratch. Nothing a band-aid won't fix"

"Ok, good. Right then... name?"

"Ha, has it been that long? I think you can probably work that one out for yourself"

"Hmmm... something beginning with K I think. Kevin? Koby? Wait, no, I remember...Kanye!"

"That's right! I knew you wouldn't forget. Fo shizzle ma nizzle homedog!"

Blaine laughed and shook his head and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his heart, he had missed Kurt so much. Filling in 'Kurt E Hummel' they moved on to the next question.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Whether it was Blaine's charm or the fact that Kurt's foot seemed to be swelling more by the minute, for whatever reason the two men only had to wait for half an hour before they were called into the E.R. A nurse directed them towards a bed at the end of the ward and reassured them that the doctor would be with them shortly. Blaine helped Kurt hop up onto the waiting bed before taking a seat in the chair beside him.

"So Mr Fashion Assistant at , why the change in career path? Did you end up reapplying for NYADA?"

"No, I just sort of fell into the job. I was assistant to the editor, Isabelle, for about a year and then the position opened up and she recommended me for the job. I still love to perform but I feel like I'm where I really belong"

"Well you were always the most stylish boy in the whole of Lima, Ohio"

"Oh I don't know, some of those hockey players made for some fierce competition"

Blaine snorted "Remember that guy with the mullet? God, what was his name..."

"I have no idea. Funny, five years and I've completely forgotten the names of half of the people I saw almost every single day"

"I feel honoured you remembered me" Blaine said with mock passion holding his hand over his heart.

"You're pretty unforgettable Blaine" Kurt replied quietly.

Their eyes met for a brief second before the moment was interrupted by the arrival of young man with a stethoscope around his neck and a clipboard in his hand. The doctor was gorgeous- there wasn't any other word to describe him. He was tall with broad shoulders, his arms were strong- not too bulky and not too lean, his head of sandy hair was styled neatly, the haircut accentuating a jawline that could quite possibly chisel granite.

"Kurt Hummel? I'm Doctor Baker"

If this man wasn't the definition of a walking wet dream before he had just sealed the deal when his voice revealed an English accent.

"Why hello Doctor Baker" Kurt responded, his voice this side of breathless.

Blaine coughed a little beside him jolting Kurt back into reality. Doctor Baker's gaze drifted to the other man and a smile tugged at his lips as he held out his hand.

"Doctor Everett Baker"

"Blaine Anderson, pleased to meet you"

"Likewise" Doctor Baker let his hand linger a little in Blaine's before pulling it away to return his focus to his patient.

"Well Kurt, I'll have to get you in for an x-ray to know for sure, but I'm quite certain that you indeed have a broken ankle"

"Great" Kurt pouted and Blaine refused to let himself acknowledge the feelings that pout incited.

"Come on now, it can't be all that bad. Look at this handsome young man you have to wait on you hand and foot for the next six weeks"

"Oh, Blaine just an old friend, he's the guy that knocked me over, my boyfriend's name is Seth; he will be here soon. Blaine's waiting with me "

Blaine felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach and all thoughts of Kurt's pouty lips flew from his mind. How quickly he had let himself forget the only reason he was there with Kurt was because of a bizarre coincidence. Kurt was not his, not anymore.

"My that's awfully kind of you" Doctor Baker smiled somewhat knowingly

"The least I can do really" Blaine replied, trying to avoid the doctor's gaze.

"Hmm. Well Kurt let's get you in for that x-ray, I'll send a nurse around with a wheelchair" the doctor's gaze flickered to Kurt's leg with was encased in the tightest of jeans "oh and you'll need to remove your pants to ensure the x-ray is clear" he added.

"Um, ok. I'll just do… that" Kurt looked more than a little put out at his predicament. His was wearing the kind of pants that usually needs more than a little wriggling to get on or off, a feat that seemed rather difficult to accomplish given the intensifying pain searing though his ankle.

"Your friend might have to help you out" Dr Baker noted realising Kurt's dilemma. "I'll be right back with that wheelchair". With a subtle wink in Blaine's direction the doctor exited pulling the curtains close behind him.

'Fantastic' thought Blaine. What kind of terrible sin did he commit in a former life to warrant such a punishment? And where did that doctor get off with his winks and insinuations?

"Um, Blaine? As awkward as this is would you mind giving me a hand? I really can't do this by myself, not to mention my hand is still stinging"

Blaine looked down at Kurt whose face and neck were flushed a lovely pink, obviously embarrassed by the situation.

"Uh, sure. Ok, I'll just umm…" With shaking hands he reached down and fumbled with the button of Kurt's jeans. Trying desperately to conjure thoughts that weren't inappropriate but coming up with nothing. The situation worsened significantly when he finally released the button and slid the zipper down causing Kurt to gasp almost inaudibly but Blaine definitely heard it. Blaine's head shot up to Kurt's face which was flushed even darker than before.

"Sorry" Kurt said almost breathlessly.

"It's ok" Blaine whispered before clearing his throat and returning to his task.

With an almost clinical nature Blaine pulled the jeans off of Kurt's hips, silently congratulating himself for only hesitating very slightly when Kurt's tip black briefs were exposed leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. There in plain sight was the bulge of Kurt's cock and Blaine thought he might just pass out. Instead of succumbing to his more primal instincts he instead averted his gaze to a spot on the cheap hospital blanket, focusing intently on the thread as he removed the rest of Kurt's jeans as quickly as possible without further hurting his ex-boyfriend.

Thankfully at that moment a voice called to them from the other side of the curtain.

"Mr Hummel? Mr Anderson? I'm here with the wheelchair, shall I come in?"

"Ye-" Kurt's voiced was more high-pitched than usual as he tried to reply after a moment he tried again "Yes, that's fine"

The curtain was pulled aside and a pretty young nurse appeared with a kind smile.

"Oh good, you're all ready. I have a gown here that you can just put over your shirt to cover you ups a bit while we wheel you to x-ray"

"Thankyou Nurse"

"Oh, Rose is fine Mr Hummel"

"Well then call me Kurt, please, and this is my boy-" Kurt stopped himself suddenly, eyes widening with horror at his slip-up.

"His friend. Blaine Anderson, pleased to meet you"

The nurse let her eyes wander quickly between the two men who were looking at anything but each other, but both had cheeks stained red. Friends indeed.

"Well Blaine, I'm just to pop Kurt down to x-ray, you're welcome to come along, though you'll have to wait outside. Or you can just stay here and wait for us"

Blaine glanced quickly at Kurt who gazing intently at his fingernails.

"If it's ok with you Kurt, I might just pop out to make a quick call. I should let my roommate know where I am"

"Sure, do what you have to. You really don't to stay if you need to go. I'd say you have more than sufficiently filled your role as remorseful accidental ankle-breaker"

"Nonsense, I'm just getting started! There's so much more I can do for you"

Blaine winced immediately, praying that everyone within earshot would just ignore the accidental innuendo. Kurt apparently decided that would be for the best and replied with a simple "thanks".

Nurse Rose looked to be biting her lip to stop a giggle as she took hold of Kurt's wheelchair and steered him out of the room.

Blaine collapsed on the bed as soon as they were gone feeling the impulse to slap himself across the face. Had he completely lost his Dalton mannerisms? Flirting with your ex-boyfriend, who was in a stable and loving relationship of his own, while he was in hospital with a broken ankle? Classy Blaine. Thinking of Dalton reminded Blaine to call Wes and so he made his way out of the ward and outside into the cooling evening air.

"Hey roommate, what's happening?"

"Hey Wes. I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be home for a while"

"Oh, cool. No biggie, I was just going to heat up some of that left over pasta for dinner anyway. Where are you?"

"At the hospital actually. It's a long story"

"Oh. Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm here with a friend, he broke his ankle"

"Oh, that sucks! Too bad, is it somebody I know?"

"Um yeah actually. It's the weirdest thing"

"Oh? I'm intrigued"

"It's um, it's Kurt"

"Kurt? As in Kurt Hummel? As in love of you life Kurt Hummel?"

"Hmm, the one and only"

"Jeez, how did this even come about man? I thought you hadn't even seen Kurt since… that event"

"I haven't, I kind of ran into him in the street and, well, broke his ankle"

"Wow, of all the gin joints, in all the towns hey?"

"Yeah, something like that"

"Well, maybe this is good. Lord knows you've been pining over the boy for years"

"He has a boyfriend Wes"

"Oh. Well... maybe he'll be so overwhelmed by the charm and charisma of Mr Blaine Anderson that won't be a problem"

"No Wes, that isn't going to happen. I'm not even to try pulling out the charms, Kurt is happy. I've already hurt him enough to last a lifetime. I won't try and take him away from a loving, stable relationship just because I blew my chance"

"Blaine… you've been beating yourself up for years. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to atleast try?"

"I don't deserve anything Wes! I made my choice and now I have to live with it, and without Kurt, and it kills me but I won't try and change it"

"Well if you're sure"

"I am"

"Ok well I'm going to heat up dinner and watch Idol, do you want me to leave you some pasta?"

"No that's ok. I think I'm going to dry my sorrows in pizza tonight"

"Fair enough, see you later Blaine"

"Bye Wes"

Blaine sighed as he turned to return inside. He had barely taken three steps before he almost ran into the second person that day. As his eyes searched upwards to find the eyes of his second victim he saw a very attractive man looking back at him.

"Oh, sorry. God, I'm making a habit of running into people today"

That stranger turned around and smiled slightly at Blaine.

"No problem, I'm actually here to see my boyfriend, someone ran into him today too!"

"Wait…Seth?"

"Um yeah- have we met?"

"Oh... no. I'm Blaine. I'm Kurt's friend and incidental injurer"

"Blaine? As in the Blaine?"

"I guess? It's not a very common name"

"No… it's not. Kurt has mentioned you before. The high-school boyfriend, the first love"

"And you're Seth the current boyfriend and current love"

"Yes, that's me. Pleased to meet you" Seth's handshake certainly didn't linger like Doctor Baker's.

"Well, shall we?" Blaine nodded towards the hospital doors.

"Sure, lead the way"

Seth and Blaine made their way through the E.R, stopping in briefly to get Seth's ok from the nurse at the desk. The poor flustered nurse barely nodded at them before turning her attention to one of the hundred other things she was preoccupied by.

Blaine couldn't help but compare himself to the new man in Kurt's life. He was tall and broad, he clearly worked out. Blaine had never felt more like a hobbit than in that moment. His hair was effortlessly neat, nothing compared to the mass of barely-contained curls sitting atop of Blaine's head. Even the way he walked was superior, Blaine felt like he had to job to keep up with Seth's effortless strides. The further they walked the more Blaine just wished he could turn around and run away, the last thing he wanted right now was to see Kurt looking at this man they way he used to look at Blaine. It might just break what was left of his heart.


End file.
